News | Cutting-edge Engineering Technology

Wednesday, 31 October 2012

The Product Lifecycle Management Competency Centre (PLMCC) is staying abreast of the latest technology in the engineering sector.

The Bellville based unit, which is one of five of its kind in the world, has acquired an interactive screen tablet.

The highly-specialised device allows students and staff members to conduct freehand designs, which are then saved and converted into 3D images.

Head of the centre, Prof Stephane Bouye says the device is aimed at streamlining the conceptual process of any product.

Thanks to this innovative technology, engineers no longer have to conduct initial drawings on paper, but on the tablet. This allows for changes to be made immediately and ensures design accuracy.

The tablet along with other specialised equipment is core to the centre’s training, which will be rolled-out in 2013.

The centre focuses on engineering processes involved in managing the entire lifecycle of a product from its conception, through design and manufacture, to service and disposal.  These processes are all made possible by highly specialised computer programmes.

PLMCC Programme Coordinator, Michael Petersen says training will focus on BTech Mechanical and Electrical Engineering students.

“We are looking for MTech students who would like to consider doing projects at the centre,” he says.

Collaborations with the Adaptronic Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory and Electrical Engineering Department on several innovative projects are also on the cards.

By Candes Keating